Ocean Events

A talk on Oregon’s most abundant seabird is offered by the Yaquina Birders and Naturalists on Thursday, March 21, 7 p.m., and the Lincoln County headquarters of the Oregon State University Extension Program (1211 S.E. Bay...

A monthly marine debris survey takes place at Muriel O. Ponsler State Scenic Viewpoint, between Florence and Yachats. To join the next survey (either to become part of the team, or simply to learn about the survey and decide whether...

Devils Churn, on a rocky stretch of shore near Cape Perpetua.\Photo by Kirt Edblom.

The state’s Ocean Policy Advisory Council (OPAC) is working on an update of Oregon’s policies concerning rocky shore protection. A series of public hearings on the new draft rocky shores management strategy...

It is time to celebrate Spring Whale Watch Week on the Oregon coast from March 23 - March 31 at the Cape Perpetua Visitor Center (2400 Hwy 101, Yachats), and at many other locations along the coast. Volunteers will be stationed at 24 designated...

Join SOLVE and thousands of volunteers on March 23 as they clean up litter and marine debris from the entire Oregon coast! Since 1986, this home-grown tradition of twice-yearly beach cleanups has benefited people and wildlife alike, supporting clean seas and healthy communities. This is a...

Michael Noack, a retired Chief Park Ranger and Naturalist, will present Experiencing Gray Whales. Noack has been educating agency staff and the public about the natural world, especially gray whales, for many years. After the program, he will be available to discuss whale watch techniques...

Have you ever struggled to explain why your science matters to a non-scientist? Have you ever been frustrated at the way science is covered in the media and used in policy? Have you wondered just what they’re teaching about science these days? Then this particular annual conference is right...

While sea level rise, intensifying storms, and wildfires dominate discussions about the effects of climate change, the increasing acidity of the oceans is actually one of its most threatening aspects. The nearshore ocean...

A monthly marine debris survey is conducted at Cape Cove, just south of Cape Perpetua. To participate, meet at Cape Perpetua Visitor Center (2400 Hwy 101, about three miles south of Yachats) in the parking lot at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, April...

Join the Friends of Haystack Rock as they host the Library Lecture Series held on the second Wednesday of each month, November to May at 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. in the Cannon Beach Library (131 N Hemlock St, Cannon Beach). These events are free and open to...

A monthly marine debris survey takes place at Muriel O. Ponsler State Scenic Viewpoint, between Florence and Yachats. To join the next survey (either to become part of the team, or simply to learn about the survey and...

CoastWatch is collaborating with Bandon’s Shoreline Education for Awareness (SEA) on a series of educational events this winter and spring. In connection with Bandon’s Earth Day festivities, we are presenting two talks on rocky shore ecology at the...

A training session for this year’s citizen science survey of Oregon’s Black Oystercatcher population will take place on Saturday, April 20, 10 a.m.-noon, at Cannon Beach City Hall (163 E. Gower St.). Those attending will learn about these elusive...

Join Surfrider Portland, Cape Falcon Marine Reserve, and Oregon State Parks for a morning filled with community service to give back to our beautiful Oregon coast on Saturday, April 27 from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. They will be hosting a beach cleanup along with some restoration projects in honor...

Widely renowned oceanographer and global ocean advocate Sylvia Earle will speak in Portland on Sunday, May 19, at 4 p.m. in the Portland State University Viking Pavilion (in the Peter W. Stott Center, 930 S.W. Hall St.). Her talk is sponsored by SAGE...

A scene from last year's BioBlitz at Otter Rock.\Photo by Nancy White.

On Thursday, June 6, we’re celebrating D-Day with a BioBlitz at Otter Rock Marine Reserve. The goal is to take a one-day inventory of all the species we can find on the shore and in the intertidal on the fringes of the...

For the second year, CoastWatch will play a lead role in a collaborative effort by conservation groups and the Oregon Coast Aquarium to conduct bioblitzes at each of Oregon’s marine reserves. The first of these takes...

Past Events

The annual State of the Coast Conference is slated for Coos Bay on Saturday, Oct. 24. The all-day event, which surveys a wide range of coastal issues and seeks to educate an equally wide range of stakeholders, takes place in the Hales Center of Southwestern Oregon Community College from 9...

The Oregon Beach Monitoring Program (OBMP) is beginning a formal process to adopt a new “beach action value” (BAV) that would be used beginning in the 2017 monitoring season. The BAV is used to determine when public health advisories should be issued for beaches. Up till now, the threshold...

The autumn’s first CoastWatch educational event is coming up Friday, Oct. 2 in Cannon Beach. “Seabirds, Marine Mammals & Marine Debris” takes place 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the Cannon Beach City Hall (160 E. Gower St.). The event is free and open to all. We’re delighted to have the Haystack Rock...

Changing conditions in Oregon’s nearshore ocean, and their potential impact on marine ecosystems and salmon populations, will be the topic of a “Science Pub” event on Thursday, Oct. 1, 6:30 p.m. at the Twisted Snout brewery in Toledo (318 S. Main St.).

Gray whale expert Jim Sumich will speak to the Yaquina Birders & Naturalists at their meeting on Thursday, Sept. 17. The meeting, which is free and open to the public, starts at 7 p.m. at the Public Meeting Room of Central Lincoln PUD (2129 North Coast Highway) in north Newport.

By way of encouraging Oregonians to put marine reserves in their viewfinders, the Oregon Marine Reserves Partnership has been offering a series of photography classes this summer, led by professional photographer Jason Waicunas of Outdoor Viewfinder. One more opportunity remains, coming up...

The Yaquina Birders & Naturalists are offering a free guided bird walk on Saturday, Sept. 19. Laimons Osis will lead a field trip to one of the most bird-rich areas in Newport. The expedition will start with a walk along the Estuary Trail at the OSU Hatfield Marine Science Center to look...

Our friends and allies with Surfrider and the Audubon Society have set up a special event to thank the many volunteers who have become engaged with citizen science and interpretation for the public in the area of the Cape Perpetua Marine Reserve. Future volunteers are welcome, too!